Punching machine



July 30, 1963 F. e. CLARK 3,

PUNCHING MACHINE Filed June 1, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 SZg AT T OENE Y5.

F. G. CLARK 3,099,087

July so, 1963 PUNCHING MACHINE Filed June 1, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 M AZ. 624

26 g 3; link INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent 3,099,037 PUNCHENG MAClmlE Frederick G. Clark, Buffalo, N.Y., assignor to Eastman Machine Company, Bulfalo, N.Y. Filed June 1, 1961, Ser. No. 114,072 6 Claims. (Cl. 3t?362) This invention relates to improvements in punching machines of the type which are used for forming lines of holes punched through paper or the like to form the outlines of patterns.

Machines of this type as heretofore made had a supporting wheel which actuated the punching mechanism as it rolled over the work to be punched, so that the machine could not be rolled over the work to begin a series of holes in another portion of the work without damaging the work by making unwanted holes therein. Consequently after forming holes in one portion of the work, the machine had to be lifted over the work and accurately positioned over another portion thereof, which eventually resulted in fatigue of the operator.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a machine of this type constructed to permit the supporting wheel to be used in connection with moving the machine from one part of the work to another without forming holes there-in. Another object is to provide a machine of this type with mechanism convenient to the operator to render the punching mechanism inoperative during transport of the machine.

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a punching machine embodying this invention.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are respectively sectional plan views thereof on lines 22 and 33, FIG. '1.

FIG. 4 is a transverse, sectional elevation thereof, the section being taken on the axis of the punch.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional elevation thereof as seen from line 55, FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary, transverse sectional view of the lower portion of the cutting machine showing the punch in its lower or perforating position.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary, sectional side elevation thereof on line 7-7, FIG. 4.

FIG. 8 is a View similar to FIG. 7 but showing the parts in diiferent position.

FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic view showing the electrical connections between parts of the machine.

It} represents a base for supporting the machine on the sheet or work which is to be punched and on a supporting board or platform on which the work is arranged, and which may he slid over this work during the punching of the same. This base is provided with an opening 11 in the middle portion thereof through which the punch and a part of the switch operating mechanism extends and through which the operator can see the lines on the paper sheet or other work which is to be punched.

At one side of this opening in the base an upright pillar or frame member '12 is suitably secured to the base, and 14 represents a housing which is suitably secured to the frame member 12. This housing is preferably of relatively heavy construction to add weight to the machine so that the same will not be raised during punching of the work. A plunger 15 is suitably mounted for vertical movement in an upright bore in the housing. The lower end of the plunger may be provided with a punch 16 of versely extending pin 29 which bears against a ring or washer 21 which may abut against the lower surface of the upper bushing 19. 22 represents a spring which urges the plunger into its upper position, the lower end of the spring bearing against the lower bushing 18 and the upper end of the spring bearing against the pin 20. The upper end of the plunger extends to a limited extent upwardly above the upper surface of the upper guide bushing 19.

The plunger is forced downwardly to penetrate the work by means of a movable core 24- which is pulled downwardly by means of a solenoid coil 25 when electric current is supplied to the solenoid. In order to intensify the power supplied to the movable core by the coil 25, the magnetic lines of force are preferably conducted from one end of the coil to the other by means of the usual stationary core or oppositely facing C-shaped iron members 26. The movable core 24 may be provided at the upper end thereof with an enlarged head 27 for increasing the force exerted on the movable core by the coil. A solenoid of any other suitable construction may, however, be employed, if desired.

The movable core is provided at the lower end thereof with an enlarged foot portion or striking block 28 suitably secured to the movable core by a pin or other means. The movable core and the block 28 are so located with reference to the plunger 15 that as the movable core approaches the lower portion of its movement, the block 23 will strike the upper end of the plunger 15 and thus force the same against the action of its spring 22 through or into the work to be punched. A coil spring 30 is arranged in an enlargement of the bore in the housing i14- and bears against an outwardly extending flange 31 of the block 23 and urges the movable core into its upper position.

By means of the construction described, it will be obvious that the spring 30 need only be strong enough to raise the movable core 24- when the current to the solenoid coil is interrupted. The spring 22 may have to be of greater strength, since it is required not only to lift the weight of the punch and plunger, but also to strip the punch from the work. Also the movement of the punch is materially less than that of the core. Consequently, by the use of the two springs, greater force is exerted on the punch than would be possible if a single spring were employed to lift the punch and the core. Very much less force is required to move the solenoid core downwardly against the relatively light pressure of the spring 30, and consequently, the core will move rapidly downwardly so that the striking block 28 will deliver a blow of considerable force when initially contacting the plunger 15, and as the plunger and core move downwardly, greater force is exerted by the solenoid coil on the core so that a Very efficient punch operation results.

Current may be supplied to the apparatus through suitable terminals 33 from a flexible electric cord and the connection of the coil 25 of the solenoid to the supply of electricity is controlled by means of a suitable switch 35, that shown being a pre-stressed, snap action switch of well known contsruction having a movable push button which affects closing of the circuit when pushed inwardly into the housing of the switch and which is yieldingly urged into the outward position shown in FIG. 1. The terminals 33 and the switch may be suitably mounted on the upwardly extending frame member 12. The button of the switch may be moved into circuit closing position by means'of a spring arm 37, the upper end of which, in the construction shown, is mounted on the housing of the switch, and which is normaly held in open circuit position by its own resilience or by other resilient means, but which may be pushed toward the housing of the switch into circuit closing position. When the spring 37 is pushed [from the open circuit position shown in FIG. 1 into the closed circuit positions shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the circuit to the coil 25 will be completed.

The movement of the switch closing spring arm 37 is normally controlled automatically by means of a wheel 40 which is preferably provided with a resilient tire 41 and which extends through the opening of the base member 10 and rotates on the work. This wheel is pivoted on a fixed bushing or axle member '42 suitably mounted on the frame member '12, for example, by means of a screw 43, as shown in FIG. 4. The wheel 40 has a gear 44 of any suitable or desired construction secured thereto. The gear 44 is constructed to mesh with a gear segment 45 having one or more gear teeth. The gear segment is secured to a shaft 47 which is rotatable and movable endwise in a bushing formed in the frame member '12. The shaft is normally urged into a position shown in FIG. 3 by means of a spring 48 engaging the end of the shaft, and a bracket 49 may be provided to which the outer end of the spring 48 is secured. The shaft 47 and the gear segment 45 mounted thereon are urged to the right into the position shown in FIG. 4 by means of the spring 48, the teeth of the gear segment will engage the teeth of the gear 44, thus camming the shaft 47 to turn when the wheel 40 turns.

A cam 50 is also mounted on the shaft 47 in any suitable manner, for example, by means of a set screw, and this cam is provided with an upwardly extending arm 51, the upper end of which engages the lower portion of the spring arm 37. Consequently, when the wheel 40 moves to the right in FIGS. 1 and 5, the gear segment 45 will be moved into the position shown in full lines in FIG. 5, thus turning the shaft 47 so that the arm 51 will be swung to the left, into the position shown in FIG. 7, in which the spring arm 37 is pressed into circuit closing position, thus closing the circuit to the solenoid coil 25. When this coil is thus energized, the movable core 24 will be moved downwardly against the action of the spring 30 so that the striking block 28 thereof will drive the plunger 15 downwardly to punch the work.

The plunger 15 is provided with a reduced stem portion 55 on the lower end of which the punch '16 is mounted, and a frustoconical surface 56 is provided between the stem 55 and the main body portion of the plunger 15. This frusto-conical portion cooperates with the shaft 47 in such a manner as to move the shaft to the left in FIG. 4, to disengage the gear segment 45 from the gear 44. In the particular construction shown for this purpose, a ball 57 is arranged in a short tube 58 mounted on the housing or body portion \14 of the machine, and the ball engages the inner end of the shaft 47. Consequently, when the plunger moves downwardly, the ball will be pressed to the left in FIG. 4, into the position shown in FIG. 6, thus forcing the gear segment 45 to the left and out of mesh with the gear 44. When the gear segment is out of mesh with the gear, the spring arm 37 engaging the arm 51 of the cam moves the cam back into its normal position, thus swinging the gear segment back to its normal or vertical downwardly extending position, as shown in dash lines in FIG. 5. Consequently, as soon as the plunger 15 is returned to its normal position by means of the spring 22, the spring 48 will move the shaft 47 and the ball 57 to the right in FIG. 4, so that the teeth of the segment 45 Will again mesh with the teeth of the gear 44, whereupon the machine is ready to punch another hole in the work if the wheel 40 is moved along the work.

Means are also provided for punching holes in the work when the wheel 40 is moved in the reverse direction. When this takes place the segment 45 is moved from its vertical position shown by the dash lines in FIG. into the dot and dash lines shown in that figure. This causes the shaft 47 to be turned in clockwise direction in FIG. 1, thus also swinging the arm 51 in a clockwise direction in 'FIG. 1 away from the lower end of the spring arm 37. In order to actuate the spring arm to close the switch under these circumstances, a dog or lever 60 is provided which is suitably pivoted intermediate of its ends on the frame member 12, for example, on a screw 61. The lower end of the dog or lever extends into engagement with the upwardly extending arm 51 of the cam, and upon movement of this arm to the right in FIG. 1, the lever 60 will be swung about its pivot so that an extension 62 thereof will engage the spring arm 37 and move the same into switch closing position. Suitable stop means, such as a stop pin 63- is provided on the frame member 12 which limits the ,svw'nging of the arm 51 to the right in FIGS. 1 and 8, and the cam 50' is provided with a toe or extension 64 which will engage the bracket 49 to limit the swinging of the cam 50 in the reverse direction. Consequently, the punching of the work will automatically take place when the wheel 40 is turned in either direction.

The spring arm 37 normally returns the cam 50 and segment '45 to their intermediate positions as shown as the segment is moved out of mesh with the gear by the cam surface 56 of the plunger. The lever 60 serves the double purpose of centering the segment '45 and the upwardly extending arm 51 of the cam in their intermediate positions by limiting the movement of the spring arm.

Means are also provided for actuating the apparatus manually for punching one hole at a time in the work and for this purpose a finger lever 67 is provided which is mounted to swing about a pivot 68 formed on a bracket 69 secured to the frame member 12. One end of the lever is provided with a handle portion 70 which is arranged in proximity to a handle 71, by means of which the punching machine is moved from place to place, the handle shown being rigidly secured to the housing of the machine. The other end of the finger lever is provided with an arm 72 which has a laterally extending part 74 formed to engage the switch actuating lever 60 to swing the upper end thereof into engagement with the spring arm 37 to close the switch. In the construction shown for this purpose, the part 74 of the finger lever is provided with a bevelled or cam portion 75 formed to engage a similarly bevelled or cam extension 76 of the lever 60. Consequently, as will be clearly understood from FIGS. 1, 2 and 8, if the finger lever is pressed toward the handle 71 from its normal position shown in full lines in FIG. 2, in which position it is held by the spring 77, the finger lever will move into a position shown in broken lines in FIGS. 2 and 8. In this position, the cam portion 75 of the finger lever in cooperation with the bevelled portion 76 of the switch actuating lever 60 will cause this lever to swing into the position shown in full lines in FIG. 8, so that the spring arm 37 is inwardly pressed into position to close a circuit to {the solenoid coil 25, thus causing the punch to descend to the work. It will be noted that when the switch is closed by means of the finger lever 67, the cam 50 and the segment 45 are not moved, so that the machine remains ready for operation by rolling the wheel 40.

The wiring diagram shown in FIG. 9 shows diagrammatically the operation of the apparatus by means of the wheel 40. As the wheel 40 is rotated, the switch 35 is closed by means of the construction described, thus com-' pleting a circuit through the solenoid coil 25 and actuating the punch. The downward movement of the punch plunger acts through suitable mechanism represented by the broken line 80, to disconnect the gear segment from the gear mounted on the wheel '40 and thus permit the switch to be opened. A similar broken line 81 represents the mechanism for closing the switch 35 by means of the wheel, so that intermittent actuation of the plunger during rotation of the wheel 40 results in providing a line of perforations in the work according to the path of movement of the machine. The operator can readily see the position of the punch 16 for guiding the machine to correctly follow the lines in which perforations are to be punched, but, if desired, additional means for indicating the line of travel of the machine may be employed.

A cover member 84 of any desired construction may be secured to the upper portion of the housing 14 and another cover member (not shown) may be secured to.

the frame member 12 to cover the mechanism mounted on the outer surface thereof.

it is of course very desirable to make it possible to use the wheel 40 for moving the punching machine into various positions on the work Without operating the punching mechanism, so that the machine can be moved from :one part of the work to the other without physically lifting the same clear of the work. In order to accomplish this, means under control of the operator are provided for moving the segment 45 out of engagement with the gear 44 and holding the segment in this inoperative position until the punching machine has been moved into the desired position. I accomplished this result by means of a second finger lever 90 pivoted at 91 on the bracket 69 secured on the frame of the machine. This finger lever is provided with an olfset portion or arm 92 terminating in a foot portion 93 which extends between the cam 50 and the frame 12 of the machine, as clearly shown in FIG. 3. A spring 96 is provided which urges the finger lever 99 out of the position shown in FIG. 3, and thus permits the shaft 47 to move into a position in which the gear segment 45 meshes with the gear 44. The finger lever preferably has an enlarged end portion 98 which extends into position convenient to the handle 71 so that this lever can be readily swung about its pivot 91 when it is desired to wheel the machine upon a supporting surface Without actuating the punch, and upon releasing pressure on the finger lever 98, the spring 46 will return the lever into a position in which the gear segment will again mesh with the gear 44. This mechanism consequently avoids the necessity for lifting the punching machine whenever it is necessary to move it from one part of the work to another.

It will be understood that various changes in the details, materials and arrangements of parts, which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention, may be made by those skilled in the ant, within the principle and scope of the invention, as expressed in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a punching machine including a punch actuated by a solenoid including a coil and having a wheel rotatable by contact with the work to be punched and having a gear mounted thereon, a toothed segment movable into and out of mesh with said gear, and a switch actuated by the movement of said segment when in mesh with said gear to close a circuit including said solenoid, that improvement which includes a lever having a part engaging said toothed segment for moving the same out of engagement with said gear to avoid actuation of said switch to permit rotation of said wheel without actuating said segment and said switch.

2. A punching machine according to claim 1 in which said lever is manually movable into position to move said segment out of engagement with said gear, and resilient means urging said segment into engagement wtih said gear. 3. In a punching machine including a punch actuated by a solenoid including a coil, and having a wheel rotatable by contact with the work to be punched and having a gear mounted thereon, and a toothed segment movable into and out of mesh with said gear, that improvement which includes a switch having a spring arm mounted on said machine and movable into and out of position to complete a circuit including said coil, a shaft on which said gear segment is mounted and which is turned when said segment meshes with the gear of said wheel, a lever mounted on said machine with a part thereof in operative position to close said circuit, a finger lever mounted on said machine and having a part engageable with said first mentioned lever for moving the same into switch closing position, and another finger lever mounted on said machine and having a part engaging said shaft to move the same into a position to hold said segment out of mesh with said gear, to enable said machine to be transported on said wheel without actuating said punch.

4. In a punching machine including a punch actuated by a solenoid including a coil, and having a wheel rotatable by contact with the work to be punched and having a gear mounted thereon, and a toothed segment movable into and out of mesh with said gear, that improvement which includes a switch having a spring arm mounted on said machine and movable into and out of position to complete a circuit including said coil, a shaft on which said gear segment is mounted and which is turned when said segment meshes with the gear of said wheel, a lever mounted on said machine with a part thereof in operative position to engage said spring arm to press the same into position to close said circuit, a finger lever mounted on said machine and having a part engageable with said first mentioned lever for moving the same into switch closing position, another finger lever mounted on said machine and having a part engaging said shaft to move the same into a position to hold said segment out of mesh with said gear, to enable said machine to be transported on said wheel without actuating said punch, and resilient means opposing movement of said other lever to release said shaft for movement into position to move said segment into mesh with said gear.

5. In a punching machine:

(a) a plunger,

(b) a solenoid for driving said plunger against the work upon energization,

(c) a switch operatively connected to said solenoid,

(d) means connected to said plunger for returning the plunger upon deenergization of said solenoid.

(e) a wheel mounted to engage and roll along the work to be punched,

(f) a shaft,

(g) means selectively interconnecting the shaft with said wheel so as to rotate the shaft in response to rotation of said wheel,

(h) switch-actuating means openatively interconnecting said switch and shaft to condition the switch upon rotation of said shaft so as to energize the solenoid,

(1') means operatively interconnecting the shaft and said plunger to move the shaft axially so as to disengage the means interconnecting the shaft with said wheel upon movement of the plunger toward the work, the switch actuating means conditioning the switch to deenergize the solenoid and returning the shaft to its initial position,

(j) means connected to said shaft to move the shaft axially to cause operative reengagement of the means interconnecting the shaft and wheel upon return of the plunger, and

(k) means selectively moving the shaft axially so as to maintain operative disengagement of the means interconnecting the shaft with the wheel, whereby the wheel can roll freely without causing operation of the plunger.

6. Ina punching machine:

(a) a plunger,

'(b) a solenoid for driving said plunger against the work upon energization.

(c) a switch operatively connected to said solenoid,

(a!) means connected to said solenoid for returning the plunger upon deenergization of said solenoid,

(e) a wheel mounted to engage and roll along the work to be punched,

(f) :a shaft,

(g) means selectively interconnecting the shaft with said wheel so as to rotate the shaft in response to rotation of said wheel,

(h) switch-actuating means including a member attached to the shaft, said switch-actuating means operatively interconnecting said switch and shaft to condition the switch upon rotation of said shaft so as to energize the solenoid,

(i means operatively interconnecting the shaft and 7 said plunger to move the shaft axially so vas to disengage the means interconnecting the shaft with said wheel upon movement of the plunger toward the work, the switch-actuating means conditioning the switch to deenergize the solenoid and turning the shaft to its initial position,

(j) means connected to said shaft to move the shaft axially to cause operative reengagement of the means interconnecting the shaft and wheel upon return -'of the plunger, and

(k) a lever selectively engageable with said shaft member for moving the shaft axially so as to maintain the operative disengagement of the means interconnecting the shaft with the wheel whereby the wheel can roll freely without causing operation of the plunger.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Gury Oct. 25, 1932 

1. IN A PUNCHING MACHING INCLUDING A PUNCH ACTUATED BY A SOLENOID INCLUDING A COIL AND HAVING A WHEEL ROTATABLE BY CONTACT WITH THE WORK TO BE PUNCHED AND HAVING A GEAR MOUNTED THEREON, A TOOTHED SEGMENT MOVABLE INTO AND OUT OF MESH WITH SAID GEAR, AND A SWITCH ACTUATED BY THE MOVEMENT OF SAID SEGMENT WHEN IN MESH WITH SAID GEAR TO CLOSE A CIRCUIT INCLUDING SAID SOLENOID, THAT IMPROVEMENT WHICH INCLUDES A LEVER HAVING A PART ENGAGING SAID TOOTHED SEGMENT FOR MOVING THE SAME OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID GEAR TO AVOID ACTUATION OF SAID SWITCH TO PERMIT ROTATION OF SAID WHEEL WITHOUT ACTUATING SAID SEGMENT AND SAID SWITCH. 